'The McLaughlin Group' to End After 34 Years Following Host's Death

Days after the death of longtime host John McLaughlin, this Sunday's program will be its last, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

“The McLaughlin Group has been a mainstay on WTTW in Chicago, and on public media stations across the country, for decades. It was a trailblazer in the political talk show genre that inspired so many programs that came after,” WTTW’s chief television content officer Dan Soles said Thursday in a statement. “This long-running political commentary and discussion show was consistently an audience favorite, and we will miss this important contribution to our political coverage. WTTW is proud to have brought the series, and Dr. McLaughlin, to the PBS system.”

McLaughlin died Tuesday at his home in Virginia at the age of 89. His passing came days after he missed his own political public affairs program for the first time in 34 years.

Premiering in 1982, The McLaughlin Group featured the former priest and presidential speechwriter moderating a panel discussion that included pundits from both sides of the political spectrum. The blunt McLaughlin would introduce a specific issue, which he and his panelists would then debate during the show. WTTW produced the series, which taped in Washington, D.C., and aired on PBS stations across the country.